6/12

I arrived in Ghana today at 11:15 a.m. after an 11-½ hour flight from Atlanta. I almost didn’t make it to that flight. Delta only gave me 45 minutes between my arrival in Atlanta and my departure for Ghana. When we were 15 minutes late getting in to Atlanta, I didn’t even have time to get any Popeye’s chicken. But I made it on the flight in time. I slept pretty well too—a rarity for me on airplanes.

This place is definitely tropical. It is the rainy season here, and sure enough rain was the first thing to greet me when we landed. Although the rain keeps the temperature down to a manageable and humid 80 degrees, I hope that we’ll see less rain and more shine while we’re here.

We are staying at the International Student Hostel at the University of Ghana. My roommate Cesar and I are living in a spacious double with a porch. The place is about 5 stories high with a courtyard in the middle, and rooms surround the courtyard in a single wrap-around hallway on each floor. There are other students here, but I haven’t met them yet.

At first glance, there’s not a whole lot to do at the Hostel. A few kids got here yesterday and it seems like they’ve been doing a lot of hanging out. It’s a good way to get to know each other, and it’s a good way for people to nap off their jet lag, but we’ll need to figure out ways to make sure that doesn’t last. I guess a lot of things are closed on Sundays as well, so I expect that there will be more options for adventure tomorrow once the week starts up.

We did go to a small market a few blocks down the street. The word is that the tap water is not OK to drink and you shouldn’t eat fruit that has already been peeled, so I went hunting for things that weren’t that. I got some grilled chicken and a big bottle of water for a cedi each. A cedi is about 60 cents; the dollar travels far over here. I’m hoping that things will continue to be cheap her. Got to love American privilege.

I like the people in our program I’ve met. There are 9 of us, and 8 of us are here already. There are 3 people who are a part of the Harvard extension school and are a few years out of college. Everyone seems to be at the “I’m am very excited but also how do I do this” level. It’s good to know we’re all stepping into something no one has experienced before.

Africa time is definitely in effect. We were told we would go to the Accra Mall at 5 to get some necessary provisions and food, but our ride did not arrive until nearly 7. At the mall, which was very westernized, I got toilet paper and shampoo. I still have to get my hands on a mosquito net, but I haven’t seen that many mosquitoes, so it’s not the end of the world if I spend a night without one. I still have to get the internet figured out and get a SIM card for my phone.

Hoping to play basketball tomorrow morning with some Ghanaians. Will Brophy, a rising sophomore on the trip who I already know, and I are waking up at 6:30 to see if the rumors of early morning basketball games at the university courts are true. I’ll keep you posted!